Five Players Of Nigerian Descent Named In England U17 Squad

Five players of Nigerian parentage have been named in the England U17 squad ahead of the Algarve Tournament in Portugal.

Head coach Steve Cooper has included 21 players on the roster including goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo, defenders Ajibiola Alese and Bukayo Saka, midfielder Faustino Anjorin and striker Xavier Amaechi.

Okonkwo, Saka and Amaechi represent the U18 team of Arsenal; Ajibola Alese is from the West Ham Academy; Anjorin is one of the top talents at Chelsea Academy.

Last season, the five aforementioned players represented England at U16 level, but their former U16 teammates Jordan Aina, Tom Solanke, Nathaniel Ogbeta and Ed Elewa-Ikpakwu have been omitted from the latest U17 roster.

The Young Lions face Portugal on February 9 at the Sport Park Nora in Ferreiras, before a meeting with Germany two days later at the Algarve Stadium in Almancil, then wrap up group play against Netherlands on February 13.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Timothy Eyoma was in the England U17 squad that won the 2017 Fifa U17 World Cup.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Photo Credit : thefa.com